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Chapter 9 LECTURE NOTES
Negative Messages
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS
Breaking bad news is a fact of business life. Employees of every company from the highest to
lowest will give bad news of some sort almost every day. Often the recipients of bad news do
not take kindly to it, no matter how justified or necessary it is. The critical questions many
business communicators ask themselves daily are these: How can I deliver bad news clearly
and yet retain my recipient’s goodwill? How can I avoid creating legal liability or
responsibility? Am I being fair? Offering strategies to help business communicators find
answers to these questions is the crux of Chapter 9.
This chapter focuses on applying the 3-x-3 writing process, including distinguishing between
when to use the direct strategy and the indirect strategy for bad news messages. The direct
strategy works best when the bad news is not damaging, when the receiver may overlook the bad
news, when the receiver prefers directness, or when firmness is necessary. The indirect strategy
is better when the bad news is personally upsetting, when the bad news will provoke a hostile
reaction, when the bad news threatens the customer relationship, and when the bad news is
unexpected. Students will learn to refuse typical requests or claims, as well as how to present bad
news to customers in print or online. In addition, students will apply techniques for delivering
bad news within organizations.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Understand the strategies of business communicators in conveying negative news, apply the
3-x-3 writing process, and avoid legal liability.
2. Distinguish between the direct and indirect strategies in conveying unfavorable news.
Chapter 9 Lecture Notes 113
WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
• Created a fresh opening scenario featuring Carnival Corporation’s recent tribulations and the
company’s responses to adverse news to illustrate the use of apologies and crisis customer
relations.
• the latest business communication research to introduce students to nuanced approaches to
the direct and indirect strategies for communicating bad news while retaining highly practical
writing instruction for students.
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. Communicating Negative News Effectively (p. 285)
PowerPoint slides 1, 2
A. Articulating Goals in Communicating Negative News
• Explain clearly and completely.
• Project a professional image.
Figure 9.1 Goals in Conveying Unfavorable News
PowerPoint slide 3
B. Applying the 3-x-3 Writing Process
1. Analysis, Anticipation, and Adaptation
• If the disappointment will be mild, announce it directly.
114 Chapter 9 Lecture Notes
2. Research, Organization, Composition
3. Editing, Proofreading, and Evaluating
• Look at the problem from the receiver’s position.
• Is the message clear without being too blunt or too subtle?
• Proofread for format, punctuation, and correctness.
PowerPoint slides 4-8
C. Avoiding Legal Liability in Conveying Negative News
1. Abusive Language
Definition: Defamation is the legal term for any false statement that harms an
individual’s reputation. When the abusive language is written; it is called libel;
when spoken, it is called slander.
2. Careless Language
3. The Good-Guy Syndrome
PowerPoint slides 9-12
II. Analyzing Negative-News Strategies (p. 289)
A. When to Use the Direct Strategy
• When the bad news is not damaging
• When the receiver may overlook the bad news
• When the organization or receiver prefers directness
• When firmness is necessary
Chapter 9 Lecture Notes 115
Figure 9.2 Deciding When to Deliver Bad News Directly
Figure 9.3 Announcing Bad News Directly: Security Breach Letter
B. When to Use the Indirect Strategy
Figure 9.4 Deciding When to Deliver Bad News Indirectly
Figure 9.5 Comparing the Direct and Indirect Strategies for Negative Messages
PowerPoint slides 13-17
C. Keeping the Indirect Strategy Ethical
• The indirect strategy should not be used to avoid or misrepresent the truth.
• The indirect strategy helps you deliver difficult news with compassion.
III. Composing Effective Negative Messages (p. 294)
A. Open Indirect Messages With a Buffer
PowerPoint slides 18-20
B. Apologizing
Figure 9.6 Apologizing Effectively in the Digital Age: The 5Rs
PowerPoint slide 24
C. Showing Empathy
• Convey empathy, the ability to understand and enter into the feelings of another.
D. Presenting the Reasons
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E. Cushioning the Bad News
• Position the bad news strategically; avoid the spotlight.
• Use the passive voice.
PowerPoint slide 22
F. Closing Pleasantly
• Forward look
• Information about alternatives
Figure 9.7 Delivering Bad News Sensitively
PowerPoint slide 23
IV. Refusing Typical Requests and Claims (p. 299)
A. Rejecting Requests for Favors, Money, Information, and Action
• Begin with a buffer acknowledging the request.
Figure 9.8 Refusing Donation Request
B. Declining Invitations
Figure 9.9 Declining an Invitation
PowerPoint slides 22-28
C. Dealing with Disappointed Customers in Print and Online
Chapter 9 Lecture Notes 117
PowerPoint slides 29-31
1. Responding by E-Mail and in Hard Copy
Written messages are important:
• When personal contact is important
Figure 9.10 Bad-News Follow-Up Message
PowerPoint slides 32
2. Managing Negative News Online
• Recognize social networks as an important communication channel.
Figure 9.11 Go Daddy Blog Delivers Bad News About Service Disruption
PowerPoint slides 33-35
D. Handling Problems With Orders
• Use the direct strategy if the message has some good-news elements.
• Use the indirect strategy when the news is disappointment
PowerPoint slide 36
E. Announcing Rate Increases and Price Hikes
Figure 9.12 E-Mail Announcing Price Increase With Audience Benefits
PowerPoint slide 37
F. Denying Claims
• Use the reasons-before-refusal plan when denying claims.
• Don’t blame customers and avoid sounding preachy.
• Use neutral, objective language and an empathetic tone.
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Figure 9.13 E-Mail Denying a Claim
PowerPoint slides 38, 39
G. Refusing Credit
V. Managing Bad News Within Organizations (p. 308)
A. Delivering Bad News in Person
• Gather all the information.
• Prepare and rehearse.
B. Refusing Workplace Requests
• Start with a buffer that delivers honest praise.
• Provide reasons for the refusal in the middle paragraph.
• Close with a qualified alternative.
Figure 9.14 Refusing an Internal Request
C. Announcing Bad News to Employees and the Public
Figure 9.15 Announcing Bad News to Employees
D. Saying No to Job Applicants
Figure 9.16 Saying No to Job Candidate
PowerPoint slides 41-46
Chapter 9 Lecture Notes 119
VI. Checklist Conveying Negative News
• Prewrite
Answers to Chapter Review Questions
1. What are your most important goals in communicating negative news? (Obj. 1)
• Explaining the bad news clearly and completely. The receiver should not have to call
or write to clarify the message.
2. When delivering bad news, how can a communicator reduce the bad feelings of the
receiver? (Obj. 1)
Bad feelings can be reduced if the receiver (a) knows the reasons for the rejection, (b) feels
3. When is the direct strategy more effective than the indirect strategy in conveying
negative news? (Obj. 2)
Use the direct strategy when the bad news is not damaging, when the receiver may
4. When is the indirect strategy in communicating bad news preferable? (Obj. 2)
5. What are the major differences between the direct and indirect strategies in
delivering bad news? (Obj. 2)
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The major differences depend on whether you start with a buffer and how early you explain
6. What is a buffer? Name five or more techniques to buffer the opening of a bad-news
message. (Obj. 2)
A buffer is a device to reduce shock or pain. Appropriate buffers in bad-news messages
7. What are some tips for business writers wishing to apologize effectively? (Obj. 3)
An apology is admission of blameworthiness and regret for an undesirable event.
most effective when they sound sincere and when the writer accepts responsibility.
8. What does conveying empathy mean in delivering apologies? (Obj. 3)
Empathy is the ability to understand and enter into the feelings of another. It means
9. Name four or more techniques that cushion the delivery of bad news. (Obj. 3)
(a) Position the bad news strategically, (b) use the passive voice, (c) accentuate the
10. What are some strategies to manage adverse news on social networking sites and
blogs effectively? (Obj. 4)
Recognize social networks as an important communication channel; be proactive in
11. Identify a process used by a majority of business professionals in resolving problems
with disappointed customers. (Obj. 4)
A majority of business professionals resolve problems immediately and personally by (a)
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12. If you must deny the claim of a customer who is clearly at fault, should you respond
by putting the blame squarely on the customer? (Obj. 4)
Even when customers are at fault, businesses should strive to establish goodwill and not
13. What is an effective technique in announcing rate increases and price hikes? (Obj. 5)
In announcing rate and price hikes, most companies strive to relate the increase to
14. How can a subordinate tactfully, professionally, and safely deliver upsetting news
personally to a superior? (Obj. 6)
Gather all the information, prepare and rehearse, explain what happened and how it will be
15. What are some channels that large organizations may use when delivering bad news
to employees? (Obj. 5)
Organizations may use e-mail, videos, webcasts, and voice mail. But interoffice memos
Answers to Critical Thinking Questions
1. Robert Bies, professor of management at Georgetown University, believes that an
important ethical guideline in dealing with bad news is never to shock the recipient:
“Bad news should never come as a surprise. Failure to warn senior leadership of
impending bad news, such as poor sales or a loss of a major client, is a cardinal sin. So
is failure to warn subordinates about mistakes in their performance and provide an
opportunity for them to make corrections and improve.” Discuss the motivation of
people who keep quiet and struggle with dispensing bad news. (Objs. 1–3)
Giving bad news is unpleasant, and many of us prefer to avoid it or hide behind technology
2. Respected industry analyst Gartner Research issued a report naming social
networking as one of the top ten disruptive influences shaping information technology
in the next five years. Should organizations fear websites where consumers post
negative messages about products and services? What actions can companies take in
response to this disruptive influence? (Objs. 1−5)
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Proactive companies are creating their own Twitter and Facebook presence and monitoring
3. Consider times when you have been aware that others have used the indirect pattern
in writing or speaking to you. How did you react? (Objs. 1–5)
Students may indicate that they appreciated the indirect pattern because it was more tactful
and made them feel that the communicator cared about their feelings. On the other hand,
4. Living in Pittsburgh, Lauren Bossers worked virtually by e-mail and phone for a
supply chain management software company in Dallas. She was laid off by phone, too.
Bossers’ manager had given her one day’s notice; however, the news was still
“shocking,” and she responded with just yes or no to the HR officer who called: “I
wasn’t rude, but I didn’t think it was my job to make them feel better,” Bossers said.
Software developer Jeff Langr was fired during a teleconference on Skype. What
might be some advantages and disadvantages to being let go remotely, if any? Why
might it be a good idea to rein in one’s frustration and anger? (Objs. 1, 5)
Although it is brutal, being told over the phone may help the person absorb the bad news
and respond to it in private rather than in front of coworkers. This advantage is lost, of
Chapter 9 Lecture Notes 123
5. Ethical Issue: You work for a large corporation with headquarters in a small town.
Recently, you received shoddy repair work and a huge bill from a local garage. Your
car’s transmission has the same problems that it did before you took it in for repair.
You know that a complaint letter written on your corporation’s stationery would be
much more authoritative than one written on plain stationery. Should you use your
company’s stationery? (Obj. 1)
Although the letter might seem more impressive on corporate stationery, it is clearly
ZOOMING IN
Critical Thinking
• Suppose you made an honest mistake that could prove expensive for your employer or
internship provider. Would you blurt out the bad news immediately or consider
strategies to soften the blow somewhat?
Revealing bad news slowly usually softens its impact. Most people would prefer to be let
down gently. Whether consciously or unwittingly, most of us adopt strategies to mitigate the
• What are some of the techniques you could use if you had to deliver a bad-news
message in print or online for a company such as Carnival Cruise Lines?
Much depends, of course, on the severity of the bad news and the relationship between you
and the audience. In business messages to customers, you could start with a buffer, which is a
124 Chapter 9 Lecture Notes
• Carnival Corporation’s chairman and CEO, Micky Arison, was criticized by The Wall
Street Journal and other commentators for remaining conspicuously silent during the
extreme crisis unfolding in Italy. Arison was faulted for not exercising leadership from
the top and instead leaving public appearances to Pier Luigi Foschi, the embattled CEO
of Costa Crociere, Carnival Corporation’s Italian subsidiary. Foschi was facing the
news media virtually alone in the days and weeks after the Costa Concordia accident.
What might explain Micky Arison’s low profile, considering that he also let Gerry
Cahill handle the Carnival Splendor crisis alone?
First, Cahill’s task was significantly easier because the Carnival Splendor incident did not
involve the loss of life, as harrowing as the engine fire and subsequent electrical failure may
Chapter 9 Lecture Notes 125
ZOOMING IN
Your Turn: Applying Your Skills at Carnival Corporation
Current Date
Dear Carnival Guest:
Important Cancellation Notice – Carnival Starlight 01/16/2014, 01/23/2014 and 01/30/2014
Following well-publicized incidents aboard Carnival-owned cruise ships that involved engine-
room fires, our technical teams are working diligently to prevent future electrical failures.
Specifically, we are working to increase the effectiveness of redundancy. All ships have two
separate engine rooms; a back-up generator is designed to kick in if the other fails. As repairs on
the vessel Carnival Starlight have progressed, additional issues have emerged, including the
availability of needed parts that are manufactured in Asia.
Here are your options:
• Receive a full refund. The refund includes Carnival-provided air travel, Vacation Protection
Plan, and government fees and taxes. No further action on your part is necessary. Refunds
will be automatically issued within ten business days.
• Reschedule immediately and book another voyage. For your convenience, you can rebook
your cruise on Carnival.com.
When you rebook, you may select from one of the following compensation offers:
1. Rate protection on any 7-day Carnival Starlight voyage
126 Chapter 9 Lecture Notes
Sincerely,
Vice President – Guest Services
Ethics Check Solutions
Ethics Check, Page 296
Apology or Hedging?
Consider why Netflix CEO Reed Hastings’ apology ignited a firestorm of criticism: “It is
clear from the feedback over the past two months that many members felt we lacked
respect and humility in the way we announced the separation of DVD and streaming, and
the price changes. That was certainly not our intent, and I offer my sincere apology. [. . .] I
want to . . . apologize again to those members, both current and former, who felt we treated
them thoughtlessly.”
Instead of accepting responsibility, Hastings sounds insincere because he essentially says that the
public’s many displays of annoyance (not the facts) suggest that Netflix lacked respect and that
Ethics Check, page 312
Canned by Phone and Letting Everyone Know
When Yahoo’s CEO Carol A. Bartz was dismissed by phone, she bluntly e–mailed Yahoo’s
13,400 employees “I’ve just been fired,” setting off a heated public debate: Was she a
trailblazer dedicated to the truth, or was her parting shot unprofessional? Top executives
Chapter 9 Lecture Notes 127
rarely admit to being sacked. Could Bartz’s bluntness have negative consequences, and is it
fair to be fired by phone?
The debate that ensued after Carol A. Bartz’s involuntary departure from the struggling search
portal split the experts into at least two camps. Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer argued that
Photo Essay Solutions
Photo Essay, p. 286
A horsemeat scandal that rocked Europe in 2013 affected Ikea when inspectors discovered
traces of edible equine in the company’s Swedish meatballs. The housewares giant quickly
apologized: “We take this issue very seriously and apologize for the current situation.
Horsemeat from authorized slaughter is in itself not dangerous. However, we do not
tolerate any other ingredients than the ones stipulated in our recipes or specifications. It is
important to us that customers can trust the products that we sell are high quality, safe,
and healthy.” What did Ikea hope to achieve by issuing this statement?
All businesses deliver bad news on occasion. However, the bad feelings associated with
disappointing news can be reduced if the receiver knows the reasons, feels that the news was
128 Chapter 9 Lecture Notes
Photo Essay, p. 292
Just months into her new job as CEO, Marissa Mayer ended Yahoo’s telecommuting
policy, sparking a lively debate in the national media. A companywide memo instructing
employees to return to the workplace opened with upbeat talk about new “energy and
buzz” in Yahoo’s offices. The memo’s second paragraph touted the benefits of “physically
being together.” Then came the bad news: “Beginning in June, we’re asking all employees
with work-from-home arrangements to work in Yahoo offices.” The message closed on a
positive note: “The best is yet to come.” What strategies can help communicators ease the
impact of negative news?
To ease the impact of bad news, communicators often present a buffer and reasons ahead of the
main message. Communicators prefer this indirect approach when news is likely to upset